A Meat Industry Magazine Just Said the Future for Meat Alternatives ‘Looks Bright’ … Yes, You Read That Right

Goodbye, meat! Hello, plant-based alternatives! A meat industry publication, Meat + Poultry, recently published their “Blockbuster News for 2017” article that features the publication’s top headlines and most-read stories of the past year and guess what? Plant-based meat alternatives made the list!

Meat + Poultry goes on to note that, “As a growing number of retailers, foodservice operators, and even processors invest in the future of the technologies behind these new products, the future of meat alternatives beyond 2017 looks bright.” That’s right, a MEAT publication said that the future of meat alternatives looks bright!

Meat companies are definitely taking notice and are jumping in on the growing plant-based sector. Food giant Nestlé recently bought Sweet Earth Foods, a Californian-based company known for vegan meals and snacks made from plant-based proteins. Major beef supplier Cargill recently sold off the last of their cattle feedlots and is focusing on transitioning their meat department to more broadly focus on “proteins,” denoting the inclusion of plant-based proteins – they also made an investment in Memphis Meats. Canadian meat processor, Maple Leaf Foods acquired Lightlife Foods earlier this year and just recently made another acquisition into the plant-based food sector when they bought Field Roast, a plant-based company known for products such as tempeh, vegan sausages, and burgers.

Thanks to growing awareness that meat is not the healthiest or the most sustainable source of protein, demand for alternative protein sources are at an all-time high. According to some estimates, the plant-based meat market is set to reach $5.2 billion by 2020 and could make up one-third of the market by 2050.

According to Nil Zacharias, Co-Founder of One Green Planet, “innovations in the plant-protein space have the power to transform food as we know it and write the story of the future of food.” Simply put, if we hope to feed the growing demand for protein, we need to move into the future with more plant-based options.

To learn more about the environmental impact of our food choices as well as trends and developments in the plant-based food space, check out our podcast #EatForThePlanet with Nil Zacharias.

The USDA announced plans to possibly begin planned inspections of facilities that use animals, as opposed to the typical unannounced visits they conduct that give a far more accurate assessment of the conditions and practices in such facilities.

Monmouth Beach, New Jersey has unanimously voted to implement a ban on single-use plastic bags, straws, food containers, and takeout Styrofoam boxes in the shore town. The ordinance was introduced last month and will take effect on June 1, 2018, when, as activists emphasize, the comprehensive plan to try and eliminate plastic waste will start benefiting one of the town’s most important assets, the beach.

The Missouri Senate recently passed an omnibus bill which forbids plant-based meat substitutes and lab-grown products from being labeled using the word “meat.” If this bill is signed into law by Governor Eric Greitens, Missouri will become the first state to have such legislation.

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5 comments on “A Meat Industry Magazine Just Said the Future for Meat Alternatives ‘Looks Bright’ … Yes, You Read That Right”

I think this is good news. It shows that not only vegetarians and vegans eat meat alternatives. The more common and easier they are to find, more people will buy them.

It doesn\'t matter if these companies are only looking at the money. Money talks, it makes the world go round. This is actually good news as well. If the demand for meat alternatives keeps growing, the demand for meat will continue to diminish.

"...we are reaching a time where the question of how we are going to feed a growing population that is set to reach nine billion by 2050 cannot be ignored. Demand for protein in the developed and developing world is at an all-time high...." And why is nothing, nothing, being done now, to prevent the global human overpopulation from "growing" and "growing"?